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A series of child murders takes place and the citizens
are in a state of panic, publicly condemning the police for
their lack of progress. While an inspector follows his first
solid lead in the investigation, the city's underworld decides
to take matters into its own hands, the heightened police
presence being detrimental to its nefarious business practices
and street crime. The murderer is finally cornered within
an office building, but the villains of the underworld are
obliged to wait until after dark to break in and systematically
search for their prey. Succeeding just before the police arrive,
they drag him off to an abandoned warehouse where they conduct
a kangaroo court, with the intention of issuing out their
own brand of vigilante justice...
Although
a decent enough film for its time, M, unlike Metropolis,
certainly doesn't deserve the 'classic' label attached to
it by many film historians. This is a fictional piece said
to be based on Peter Kurten, the real life 'Monster of Dusseldorf'.
Made in 1931, it was subsequently banned under the Nazis and
didn't resurface until 1960. The running time had been reduced
from 117 minutes to only 99, and the movie was released under
the titles M - Your Murderer Looks At You, and M
- A City Hunts a Murderer.
Viewing
the film now, it comes across as strangely unbalanced; at
one moment frantic with movement, and the next fixing for
an eternity on one frame. There is so much rushed dialogue
that it is virtually impossible to keep up with the subtitles,
requiring you to scan-read the text. As you would think, this
somewhat mars the comfortable enjoyment of watching a movie.
And when white words occasionally appear on a light background,
you might as well give up hope.
The
visuals make their point well, and the themes explored are
brave and inventive for the period. Condemnation of the police
and mob rule tactics were probably what led to its ban. Peter
Lorre is... well, Peter Lorre: creepy and strange. Having
said that, the film is still average in my eyes. What really
deserves special mention is the extensive restoration work.
The massive cleanup of both picture and sound from the original
35mm print is nothing short of miraculous. Judging by the
documentary, The Restoration of M - Peter Campbell,
it was a painstaking process using the latest technology.
This was undoubtedly a labour of love. The comparisons show
that the recovered film prints were practically unwatchable,
plagued by multiple scratches, creases and all manner of white
blotches, as well as sound marks. Seeing evidence of the damaged
goods you would never have thought the finished product was
possible. I can't praise this marvellous work enough.
Other
extras in this two-disc set, aside from the aforementioned,
include an interview with writer and director Fritz Lang;
a documentary on the man himself; a visual essay from film
historian R. Dixon Smith; animated biographies, photo gallery,
set designs, and an interesting feature commentary (for example,
the nasty rhyme sang by the children at the start of the picture,
was made famous by M, but actually evolved a decade
earlier when a killer terrorised Munich).
Obviously,
this release will not appeal to many casual film-buyers; however,
if you're a collector of old movies (and there are plenty
around) this will be an indispensable purchase. The remastering,
plethora of extras, and packaging alone deserve more points
than the film itself.
Ty
Power
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